Commission to hold 4th int'l potluck

Sandy Beach event on afternoon of 'Juneau's citywide Cleanup Day'

Posted: May 9, 2013 - 9:08pm | Updated: May 9, 2013 - 11:10pm

In her role as president of nonprofit organization Litter Free Inc.’s board of directors, City Clerk Laurie Sica is helping to organize “Cleanup Day,” an anti-littering volunteer event, on Saturday morning.

Now Juneau’s deputy clerk, Beth McEwen, is inviting Juneauites to participate in another community event on Saturday afternoon.

The Juneau Human Rights Commission is holding its fourth annual potluck at the Sandy Beach Savikko Park Picnic Shelter, McEwen said in an email Thursday.

In her email, McEwen, who is the staff liaison to the Human Rights Commission, encouraged people to join in the potluck “just in case you are looking for some good food and good company after picking up all that litter around Juneau.”

The potluck runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

A flier for the event, part of the “I Am Juneau” summer series, describes it as “free and family friendly.”

“Come eat, drink and enjoy the afternoon with friends and neighbors while sampling delicious foods of other cultures at the 4th Annual International Pot Luck,” the flier reads in part. “Every Juneau resident is invited to share your favorite dish.”

Alavini Lata of the Human Rights Commission said the potluck is “always a lot of fun.”

“Last year, we had a roast pig,” said Lata. “And this year, we were able to find another person to bring a roast pig, so I’m excited.”

Lata said people should not be discouraged by the thought of having to figure out what “American food” to bring. He suggested people should bring a regional specialty from where they grew up.

“Last year, a woman from Alabama brought fried chicken and watermelon,” Lata recounted. “And we were like, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly what we were looking for!’”

For turnout Saturday, Lata is predicting somewhere between 100 and 150 people. He said he hopes some participants volunteer to do activities like face-painting and making balloon animals for children.

Lata also acknowledged Cleanup Day in the morning. Bag stations will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at locations around town for volunteers to get their trash bags and begin picking up litter on public lands, which Sica said Wednesday include “roads, sidewalks, parks, trails (and) beaches.”

“I’m encouraging people to do the highway cleanup, and then come eat,” said Lata.

Juneau Watershed Partnership is also sponsoring a picnic for Cleanup Day volunteers. That picnic will be at Duck Creek Market in the Mendenhall Valley from noon until 1:30 p.m.